Scandal of 80 000 vacant houses in London

8 April 2011

Jenny Jones, Green candidate for London Mayor in 2012, has attacked proposals to make squatting a criminal act.

London currently has 360 000 households on housing waiting lists and 83 000 properties which have been empty for more than six months.

But instead of getting more council homes they can actually afford, Londoners are getting hit by a freeze on new council homes, benefit cuts that will displace thousands of households and increase homelessness, a proposed ban on squatting and in Westminster a proposed ban on rough sleeping and soup runs.

Jenny Jones commented: "I think it's appalling that the Government is attacking people living on a knife edge.

"I don't want to see squatters take over people's homes or damage their property. But I also don't want to see people criminalised for making good use of buildings left vacant for months or years while they are unable to access a home they can afford.

"Councils need to make better use of their enforcement powers, and the Mayor needs to support local groups who can bring empty properties back into use. Let's treat the problem, not ban the symptoms."

 

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